


Silent Sun

by AHappyPup



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Ableism, Adaine is a brilliant wizard, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Deaf Character, Found Families, Gen, Spoilers for Season 1, because the adult Abernants fully suck, deaf!Adaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:42:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24835573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHappyPup/pseuds/AHappyPup
Summary: Adaine doesn't mind being deaf. It's a part of her that's always been there and always will be with her. High school, on the other hand, she minds a whole lot.
Relationships: Adaine Abernant & Figueroth Faeth, Adaine Abernant & Gorgug Thistlespring, Adaine Abernant & Jawbone O'Shaughnessey
Comments: 24
Kudos: 124





	Silent Sun

**Author's Note:**

> The sign language (Solecian Sign Language - SSL) used in this fic is a reskin of American Sign Language (ASL). I am nowhere near fluent in it, but I did do my best in order to create grammatically correct sentences in ASL. I tried to stick with signs and phrases that are most commonly understood by non-Deaf populations while also staying true to the characters. Characters who are fluent use longer sentences than those who are not.
> 
> I was unable to find anything that could accurate check my ASL grammar unfortunately. However, if you are fluent in ASL, please shoot me a message on tumblr @swimmingnewsie and tell me what I got wrong and how I can improve!
> 
> Thank you for reading and please enjoy!

Adaine couldn’t breathe. Her heart was racing, and it was taking every bit of control not to break into another panic attack. She was already going to be in so much trouble with her parents for getting detention and for what? A stupid dare her sister put her up to? Granted Adaine couldn't help but think there was some value in the book. Aelwyn had taken the time to sign to her rather than force her to read lips after all.

But there was no time to worry about that now. Everyone was running, and Adaine didn’t know why. If any of the other students were saying anything, she couldn’t tell- not with their backs turned at least. If all the students were running and the teacher was gone, that meant Adaine should probably be running too, consequences of leaving detention be damned.

As they rounded into the cafeteria, Adaine’s eyes bulged at the sight of the living corn in front of her. She knew adventuring school would have its fair share of monsters and fights, but it absolutely wasn’t something she would expect on the first day. She could feel the uncomfortable twinge of arcane energy weave its way throughout the room, feeling an arcane lock behind her.

The other students- the ones who tried to help when she had a panic attack earlier- they were shouting and Adaine couldn’t make sense of any of it. Lip reading was almost impossible when people shouted, and it certainly didn’t get their message across any better. Frustrated, she thrust her hands out in sign,“ _What happening?_ ”.

The human girl in front of her looked on at her in confusion before running forward to leap over a table like one of their other classmates. Adaine rubbed at her temples. There wasn’t exactly time to write out what she needed; she just had to act. She didn’t know what else to do, so she ran forward trying to get closer to hit whatever this monster was in their cafeteria. But as soon as her last spell of the day hit, a group of its gremlins surrounded her, and she was gone.

She thought it was interesting that even in death, Adaine remained deaf. But the people around her in this haze of unconsciousness didn’t speak- they signed just like Adaine. “ _Return”_ one of them signed.

 _Return to where?_ she thought, trying to make sense of the haze around her. “ _I dead?_ ” Adaine signed rapidly. She had to be dead. There was no other explanation for this.

“ _No,”_ the figure signed back. “ _K-Religion saved you.”_

And just like that, Adaine’s eyes opened, the human girl- K-Religion it seemed- was hovering over with a healing touch. She was speaking slowly enough that Adaine could understand. “Are you okay?”

Adaine nodded, giving the shorthand for okay. She noticed the way the human girl looked at her in confusion. Of course, she didn’t understand Sign. Why would she? Adaine gulped, preparing herself. She hated speaking, hated the way it felt in her throat and chest, hated the looks she would get afterwards. But it seemed the only option at the moment. “Deaf,” she said, feeling comfort in giving the sign alongside. 

The human girl’s eyes widened. Adaine hated that look; the look of pity, of weakness. But she shook her head, continuing on. “What is happening?” she asked, a bit strained trying to remember the stupid filler words that spoken Common had. The girl was speaking quickly again, but Adaine could piece together that there was some real danger for the other kids in detention with them. 

Determination in her eyes, Adaine grabbed that ladle and stuck the lunch lady attacking her. Spells or not, they were going to get out of this lunchroom alive.

* * *

_They_ made it out of the lunchroom alive, but now the lunch lady and the principal and the guidance counselor were all dead and she was covered in blood and she was pretty certain that her parents were going to kill her. But the silver lining behind it all, it turns out one of the kids in her group had a basic understanding of Solecian Sign Language. It was slow and clunky, but she was happy to finally learn the names of the people around her.

Gorgug was the half-orc who could sign. He used far more fingerspelling than she was used too, but it was better than nothing. Then there was Kristen, the human girl who had brought her back from the brink of death. Adaine noticed the corn covered book she held next to her chest- a Helioic bible. That explained the name sign at least.

Fabian and Riz were the young men who had taken on most of the fighting against the main monster- though she didn’t see where Riz had run off too after their showers. And finally there was Fig, the poor tiefling who had been knocked out almost the entire time. It was nice that she was doing better now it seemed. 

“ _Where you learn sign?_ ” she asked, interest piqued.

Gorgug looked embarrassed as he thought through the signs he needed, but Adaine didn’t mind. It was nice to talk with someone who understood. _“Mom and Dad”_.

Adaine felt a twinge of sadness in her heart. After the failed restoration attempt in her early childhood, her parents insisted she pretended to be hearing. They stopped signing to her, and only enunciated their words out of old elven tradition- not because it would help Adaine. No, Angwyn and Araianwen Abernant had two perfectly normal daughters. The younger one simply chose to stay silent. 

To know there were parents out there that taught their hearing son, though, it made her almost want to cry. _“Deaf also?”_ she asked, for nothing more than her own curiosity.

He shook his head. “ _Mom and Dad hearing. Deaf..._ ” Adaine nodded again. She knew it was hard to remember at times. _“friend,”_ he finished before pointing at the car that was approaching the school. _“I text you tonight?”_ he asked.

Adaine smiled, pulling her crystal out and handing it to him. Maybe this new school wasn’t so bad after all.

* * *

Having a group of friends was pretty nice. Having a group of friends who all were working to learn Sign however, was something Adaine never thought she would ever have. Every afternoon for sixth period the Bad Kids attended SSL class rather than Dwarven or Elvish or whatever language classes they were in before. 

They had done this for _her_. 

No more days of crying because no one could hear her. No more being left behind because they didn’t want to deal with Adaine’s “problem”. No more being ignored because she didn’t talk like everyone else.

Some of them caught on faster than others. Gorgug had a headstart from his parents, obviously, but Riz and Fig picked on relatively quickly. Kristen had trouble getting her fingers just in the right spots, but the effort was there. And while Fabian was the most blase about it, he still sat there and learned- far more than her parents ever did. 

Regardless of their progress, she was able to talk to her friends like a normal teenager now. And that was something Adaine could never move her hands fast enough or large enough to express her excitement. 

* * *

_“You okay?”_ Gorgug asked as they entered The Black Pit. 

Adaine nodded even though she was most definitely not okay. So many people had died at the hands of her and her friends in the past month. Riz’s missing friend seemed to be related to the palimpsest that she currently had in her bag. Scratch that- Sam Nightingale was in her bag- an actual person was in her bag and they were in a seedy nightclub with flashing lights trying to find a way to get her out. “ _Eyes hurt,”_ she signed, pointing at the dancing lights around her. There was a reason she never learned that cantrip. 

Gorgug turned to the group, asking something aloud, though the flashing lights kept her from looking too far in his direction. She knew it wasn’t on purpose- not like when her parents would speak away from her- it was simply more efficient. 

Fig tapped on her shoulder rapidly to get her attention. “ _For you,_ ” she signed, pulling a pair of sunglasses off of her jacket. _“Hurt less.”_

Adaine nodded graciously, putting the shades over her eyes. It was much more comfortable already. She signed her thanks as they headed into the club.

The music felt nice under her feet. The beat was loud and steady in a way that almost made her forget she was afraid to be there. It had been a long time since she had gotten to feel music; but her pleasure didn’t last long. As the bad kids investigated the area, she had gotten separated and stuck at the front of the bar all alone. Adaine didn’t mind too much, for she could still see Fabian around the corner.

But then the beat changed.

Under normal circumstances, Adaine would have figured that it was simply a change in song or artist. But the patrons of the bar around her started to transform and Fabian was out of sight and she was all alone. She knew that theoretically, she should fight. She was an adventurer; that was she learning to be. But the only thing she could do was run.

Even in running she couldn’t do anything right- the bouncer changed too. All she wanted to do was curl up and cry. She tried to scream, but she couldn’t tell if her voice made any sort of impression over the loud music.

And then she felt it.

The sticky, painful feeling of teeth in her arm. Her stomach twisted as whatever serum coursed its way through her body, heart beating faster than it ever had before. But something in her stopped it so far. Father was not going to be happy about this, assuming she made it home alive.

Weakly, she reached up with the most powerful Witchbolt she could manage, desperate for any way out. Before he could get another swipe on her, Adaine felt the music stop and the werewolf backed away. His eyes went from glazed over to crystal clear in a flash. His mouth was moving, but she couldn’t focus enough to understand. She put her hands over her eyes and curled up, head between her knees by the bar.

She felt like she had been there forever when she felt a light twinge of magic course through her veins- Fig’s Healing Word. She opened her eyes, seeing Fig and Gorgug there to offer a hand. Uncharacteristically, she bolted into Gorgug’s arms, holding tight as Fig signed “ _You okay. You safe. We help.”_

Adaine let them take her out of the bar, let them comfort her as she cried, let them hold her. It was a comfort she had never been allowed before. Her two best friends carried her to Fabian’s and gave her something far greater than a hug. They gave her trust and love, a treasured gift indeed. 

* * *

Despite everything that had happened at The Black Pit, Adaine found she really liked music. She liked it best when Fig played for her. When Gorgug had picked up on the drums, she liked it even better, the solid beats working their way through her whole body. She spent many an afternoon lying on the floor feeling the vibrations as they practiced. 

One afternoon, Fig was working on something new, and like always, Adaine was happy to lay there and feel the music. But something wasn’t right as Fig strummed her bass. One particular part didn’t feel right, almost as if it were just slightly out of place. 

The vibrations stopped as Fig looked at her. _“You okay?”_

Adaine nodded, trying to think through how to explain. _“Music sounds wrong.”_

 _“How wrong?”_ Fig asked, looking at her bass.

Adaine thought for a moment. She didn’t understand music well enough to describe it, but she could show Fig what it felt like. _“You trust me?”_ she signed.

Fig nodded, and Adaine reached out a hand. She guided Fig and her bass to the ground before pulling her hand back away to perform a spell. Her fingers moved carefully, alternating between signing and casting carefully. 

She knew she had gotten it right when Fig looked at her in surprise, touching her ear. “ _Temporary deafness,”_ she explained. _“Play song again. Feel in ground.”_

Fig played her selection again, seemingly surprised by how different it seemed feeling the vibrations compared to hearing it. She nodded, understanding. “ _This how you feel always?”_ she asked.

Adaine could simply shrug. It wasn’t exactly the same, she assumed, but it was probably pretty close. _“I like your music. Feels good. Makes you happy too.”_

Fig smiled, turning over to give Adaine a hug. _“Thank you.”_

* * *

Adaine was sure for an adventuring school, this was probably par for the course. But saving the world from an apocalypse, trying to solve the mystery of the palimpsests, and keeping up with her classes was a nightmare. Her only sanctuary was a small corner in the Wizarding section of the library

For a few hours every week, she worked on adding spells to her spellbook and adapting them so that she didn’t need to use verbal components. The lower level spells were easy to translate, usually being able to add a name sign for each spell and call it a day. But as the spells increased in power, it took much longer to manipulate the magic.

More confident in her arcane abilities than ever, Adaine decided to play around with a spell, see if she could bend it to her will. Comprehend Languages had been the bane of her existence since she was taught it in her Divination course. It was perfect for any glyphs or foreign text they came across through the year, but there was that pesky auditory component. If she could hear, she could understand any language under the spell. But of course the arcane wizards of the past didn't imagine a deaf wizard when they constructed their spells. However, Detect Thoughts could translate direct thoughts into her mind. Surely there was a way to do the same with Comprehend Languages, by pass her ears and go straight to her mind. 

Midway through her research period of the day, however, Adaine was pulled away by someone waving a hand in front of her: Jawbone. 

For all that had happened at The Black Pit, Jawbone had turned into a pretty good resource. He was a great counselor, he had more than his fair share of life advice to pass on, and best of all, he was fluent in Sign. 

“ _Jawbone!”_ She smiled, turning away from her book before a look of concern came across her face. “ _Not Thursday right? No miss appointment?”_

Jawbone shook his head, returning a soft smile and sitting down across from her. _“Not Thursday. Only saying hello, Sunny.”_

Adaine smiled. It was a silly nickname, one of her favorite signs as a kid even, but she liked it better than when he called her kid like he called the rest of her friends. “ _Hello, Jawbone.”_

Jawbone peered over at her notes. _“What you working on?”_

Adaine opened her spellbook again, showing him the page for Comprehend Languages. “ _Trying to change spell. Make it work without hearing. Combine with Detect Thoughts”_

She saw the way Jawbone nodded, mulling over the spellbook himself. _“I no wizard, but what if you combine somatic from Detect Thoughts with your verbal Comprehend Languages?”_

Adaine thought about it for a second, for she hadn’t considered that combination yet. It seemed far too simple to work, but there was no use in not trying it. “ _You talk while I cast?”_ she asked, preparing her arcane focus. 

_“Of course, Sunny.”_

She closed her eyes focusing on the movement of her hands, intertwining the two spells’ motion. Not but a few seconds later, in her mind, she could see lines of text as if she were reading his words from a book. It was incredible; she could understand everything Jawbone was saying, even though she couldn’t see his hands or his lips. _“Jawbone! Jawbone! It worked! It worked!”_ she signed rapidly, unable to contain her excitement. 

He wrapped her up into a big hug, spinning her around slightly. “I’m so proud of you, Sunshine!” Her grin only grew wider as his words reached her brain. A tear slipped from her eye. 

She couldn’t use it all the time, and even if she could she didn’t know if she would want to. But the possibility was there, and that meant everything. 

* * *

With the advent of her new spell, Adaine was well above the curve of her classmates. Even if she had to spend the entirety of her class breaks performing the ritual version of the spell (who knew when she might need the spell slots), classes were much easier when she could read what the teacher was saying as compared to trying to piece things together on her own. 

While her grades were improving, her relationship with her family wasn’t. She had chosen not to tell them of her new discovery after using it in secret and seeing their unkind words. She was used to reading it on their lips when they knew she was ‘listening’. But knowing what they said when she wasn’t around was just too painful. 

Maybe in another world they would be proud of her. But she was stuck in this world. And in this world her parents didn’t see her as anything more than a disappointment for earning B’s in classes that she didn’t understand the language compared to her sister’s Hudol Collegiate A’s. But there was something oddly satisfying to her when Aelwyn asked to borrow some of her Divination notes.

 _“Don’t get ahead of yourself,”_ her sister signed. _“Missing a few notes.”_

Adaine rolled her eyes as Aelwyn took her notes. _“You’re welcome,”_ she replied sarcastically. 

It wasn’t until a few hours later that she received several frantic texts from Riz showing Fabian kissing her sister and snorting drugs off of his chest. Barely five minutes later, another set came saying Aelwyn was casting silent magic and trapping people.

It was a long fight between the two of them, but Adaine ultimately had the upper hand. Her sister forgot that some spells require hearing, that some spells have to be done just correctly or they’d backfire on. It truly was a treasure to incapacitate her with her own Command spell and bring her to the lowest low.

The high did not last long, however. Her sister had been jailed and released to Fallinel. Adaine had almost been trapped in the palimpsest they had fighting to break. She and her party had all been jailed for their involvement with Johnny Spells. In a very confusing moment, they had been broken out of jail by their postal worker friend only to learn that she was indeed the Elven Oracle and her parents had abandoned her. 

And now there was a dragon and more students ready to end the world once again. There wasn’t time to be low. They were going to finish this and finish it well.

It was time to stand tall. This was their world to save one last time.

* * *

_“What sheets you want?”_ Jawbone signed as they wandered through the store, looking at the various bedding. 

Adaine smiled looking through the different sheets and bedding. After three nights on the couch, Jawbone had decided enough was enough and cleared out the spare room. He had given her nothing but kindness after catching her mid panic attack, and it was almost so much that Adaine felt her heart was ready to burst. 

She caught sight of a set with purple butterflies on them. Adaine couldn’t help but feel a little childish looking at them. There’s no way Jawbone would get those for her. He had a teenager, not a little girl. 

“ _Pretty,”_ he signed, touching the purple sheets. _“You like?”_ Adaine put her head down, biting her lip. She shouldn’t like them, and she knew that. _“Don’t have to be embarrassed. If you like, then you like, Sunny.”_

 _“You no care they for children?”_ she asked, slowly looking up.

“ _If they make you happy, I love,”_ he signed, cupping her cheek gently with his paw. _“Want to find blanket to match?”_

It was such a simple gesture, but one her own parents would never give her. With an affirmative nod, she grabbed the sheets and rolled the cart forward. This was better than anything she could have imagined before. Adaine felt warm and whole, allowed to just be. No more lying, no more pretending. She was Adaine: Jawbone's Sunny, The Bad Kids' Mage, and Tracker's cousin. She was the girl born to a family who would never understand but found one who would always love her. 

And that was enough. 


End file.
